American Idols Live! Tour 2008 to Ring the NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell
Top ten finalists of the American Idols Live! Tour to preside over the NASDAQ closing bell ceremony this Friday, August 1st, 2008. NASDAQ MarketSite – 4 Times Square – 43rd & Broadway – Broadcast Studio. Friday, August 1, 2008 at 4 p.m. ET. A live webcast of the NASDAQ Closing Bell will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx.
David Archuleta’s New Single Debuts
David Archuleta’s first single, “Crush, ” debuted on the syndicated radio program Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on Friday.
The singer was reportedly shaking when it first aired, but whether it was nerves or excitement, his fans have nothing but praise for the track.
Carol, 65, from Colorado, called in to the radio show to say: “Wow. I tell you. How many of us have ever felt the song you just sang. There are so many girls saying, ‘Wow. He wrote that because he knows how I feel.’ I hate it when they call you little because you’re the biggest man in town.”
More Idol Headlines After the Jump…
Cougars Love Cook
American Idol David Cook has a new fan base–moms!
The 25-year old singing sensation tells OK! he’s a bit uncomfortable with all the attention he’s received from preying cougars since winning Idol.
“Every time a mother comes up to me and says proudly that she’s a cougar, it’s always a little unnerving, ” he tells OK!. “I’m just like, ‘Uhhh. OK!’ It’s a little strange.”
TV fans feel the love at predictable ‘Idol’ stage revue
One does not attend an “American Idol” concert to be astounded by artistic innovation, and in that respect, the tour’s stop at Newark’s Prudential Center Wednesday night, the first of two shows there, did not disappoint.
Which is disappointing, because the charm of this season’s standouts lay in their ability to upend arrangements and jolt expectations instead of delivering straight-up karaoke, notably David Cook’s emo reworking of Lionel Richie’s Velveeta-rific ballad “Hello, ” Brooke White’s heartfelt, acoustic “Love is a Battlefield, ” and Chikezie Eze’s bluegrass version of the Beatles’ “She’s a Woman” (wearing an argyle sweater vest, no less).
UNDERDOG IS HERE
When David Cook found out he had passed his initial audition for “American Idol” and would advance to have a chance to compete on the hit television series, he felt something besides happiness and anticipation.
Cook felt uncomfortable about the situation.
The reason was he didn’t plan to audition in the first place. Cook came to the audition in Omaha to provide moral support for his brother, Andrew, who was trying out for the show. Cook only auditioned after he was prodded into doing so by his brother and his mother (who also came to the audition).
Interviews with Season 7 American Idol finalists
I was fortunate to time the American Idol tour in Detroit, Michigan with a visit home to Ann Arbor. Luck was on my side, as an opportunity for an interview prior to the show was arranged. My good luck continued as the five Idols sent out for interviewing included my favorite Jason Castro!
After meeting at the media access door, we followed our contact to the exclusive Olympia Room, where we were seated in private booths. It felt like I was meeting all of them individually for lunch, except that we were under time constraints of about five ‘ ten minutes apiece. I like to have long lunches, so it was hard to cut short what I wanted to unfold slowly.
American Idol Season 7 concert review
While I was inside the Arena interviewing a few of the Idols, my husband and kids were out at the busses getting autographs of Kristy Lee Cook, Chikezie Eze, Brooke White and Michael Johns. My son was next in line to see David Cook, but David had to run to make it inside for the press interviews. We were 0 for 2 with David Cook!
We met the rest of our group at the front of the Arena and headed inside to get our seats.
Joe Louis Arena is home to the Detroit Red Wings hockey team and it felt like it ‘ it was very cool inside; I wondered if the ice was under the flooring. It holds 20, 058 people at capacity. During the concert there were a few sections roped off but looked more than half-full to me.
Are you bound for “American Idol” glory?
It seems like it was just yesterday David Cook was crowned the season seven “American Idol.” Believe it or not, season eight has already begun.
Auditions for the next season began July 17 and run through Aug. 19. The closest the “Idol” judges will get to the area is the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J.
According to the “Idol” Web site, wristbands will be distributed from 8 a.m. Aug. 17 to 8 a.m. Aug. 19. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out at the center and will have to return on the 19th.
Drawing Attention at American Idol in Salt Lake
What would American Idol be without the unusual and bizarre? From the thousands of idol hopefuls that auditioned, a few came prepared to steal the spotlight with something other than their vocals.
Many traveled far, hoping to stand out because of their ability to sing, and others just stood out.
Erika Robertson, Idol Hopeful: “Just to grab their attention anyway I can. Anyway I can do it is good.”
THERE AND BACK AGAIN
Toms River is familiar territory for Chris Daughtry. The gritty rocker delivered a passionate show for a sold-out Ritacco Center crowd in December. Now, he’s back for an encore performance Sunday at the Toms River North Campus.
“I just love to go out and play wherever I can, ” Daughtry said. “It’s what I do.”
Daughtry comes across as a humble, average guy during interviews. That’s not what you would expect from a rock star with an eponymous debut album that sold more than a million copies in just five weeks.
It Under Control
weekend. I am checking my VIP access connections to see if I can catch her singing, Spotlight. Jennifer sings, Are you a man who loves and cherishes and cares for me?/ Are you a guard in a prison, maximum security
When I first heard this song, I immediately thought of a controlling boyfriend I once had. As we said yesterday, I have him to thank for this gem: Careful what you wish for when you say you want an attentive boyfriend. Now I have my …attentive boyfriend within reason and compliance of Georgia laws disclaimer!
Make room, sort of, for Sanjaya
Well, it ain’t the big room, or even a room, but a gig’s a gig – and Sanjaya Malakar isn’t about to turn one down.
Once the darling of teenage “American Idol” fans and people who love to view train wrecks, the wild-haired performer from “Idol’s” sixth season sings at the Mohegan Sun Tuesday at 7 p.m.
But don’t look for him in the Arena, or the cozier Cabaret.
Oh no no.
Sanjaya’s stage will be set up in the concourse outside The Shops.
A half-hour later, the 18-year-old singer is scheduled to sign copies of “Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul, ” a paperback compilation of stories from former “Idol” contenders and fans, in the Connecticut resort’s Spin Street record shop.
Summer Street Fair For City Dwellers
Has the price of gas forced the word …staycation into your summer vocabulary? If so, BU and the city of Boston have put together a little something for your, um, …staytinerary.
On Saturday, August 2, the Student Village and Agganis Arena will be the site of a free day-long street fair, barbecue and concert. Dubbed …Summer in the City, the fair is one in a series of city-sponsored summer events around Boston.
The street part of the fair gets under way at noon on Harry Agganis Way and will feature performers, face painters, a free BBQ lunch, and plenty of ice cream and cotton candy. The afternoon will be capped off by the Summer in the City Cooldown Concert in Agganis Arena, featuring hip-hop act the Floorlords, R&B artists 4Peace, and American Idol finalists Brandon Rogers and Paris Bennett.
Louis Vuitton Reaches Global Settlement With Sony BMG Regarding Infringement Cases
Louis Vuitton Malletier today announced that the company has concluded a worldwide settlement agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment (“Sony BMG”) under which Sony BMG has agreed to refrain from future activity involving Louis Vuitton’s intellectual property.
Following these cases, Louis Vuitton subsequently alleged that Sony BMG had distributed, offered for sale and sold certain CDs of the artist Ruben Studdard’s album, “The Return, ” bearing unauthorized reproductions, copies and /or colorable imitations of the Louis Vuitton intellectual property.
Sony settles luit with Louis Vuitton over promos for Britney Spears, Da Brat
Attention, blinged-out, brand-obsessed pop stars: Read the law before going gaudy.
Louis Vuitton won an undisclosed out-of-court settlement Thursday after a five-year Paris court battle against three of MTV’s familiar faces – Britney Spears, Da Brat and “American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard.
The company sued Sony BMG Music Entertainment for allowing its artists to use the famous LV monogram in music videos and album covers.
Dressing Up Kellie Pickler
For the little girl in all of us, Kellie Pickler is now available for playing dress-up. She one of the latest singers to grace the virtual pages of Stardoll.com, and she stands ready in her virtual bra and underwear waiting for you to play stylist. You can put her in a strapless white mini-dress or jeans and her trademark red high heels. My only complaint is that unless you join and earn points to buy them, she doesnt come with cowboy boots.
Tug of War in Food Marketing to Children
Prime-time programming generally does not meet any of the companies criteria for child-focused programming, but more than two million children regularly watch …American Idol, for example, where Coca-Cola is a major sponsor. (… ‹American Idol is family entertainment. It is not programming primarily directed at children under 12, a Coca-Cola spokeswoman, Diana Garza Ciarlante, said in an e-mail message.)
And one easy solution for companies is to take products that have been marketed to children and start marketing them to mothers.
Kellogg has been trying to reformulate its Pop-Tarts, for example, but has not succeeded in creating a better-for-you version. By the end of the year, …if we cant do it, we will shift the target for that product to adults, whether it moms or whomever makes sense, said a Kellogg spokeswoman, Kris Charles.
That is unlikely to satisfy critics.
FTC Backs Self-Regulation
NEW YORK The Federal Trade Commission, in its report on the marketing of food to kids, handed the food industry a massive victory this week in its fight to avoid regulation over the childhood obesity issue.
The report found no area of kids-oriented food marketing that would require regulation. Instead, the FTC called for more companies to join the industry’s voluntary self-regulation group, the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, established by the Council of Better Business Bureaus in November 2006.
In only one area did the FTC appear to have views that pose a threat to Big Food’s status quo: What counts as a kids’ TV show.
The report noted that American Idol, American Dad, Family Guy and The Simpsons “commanded the largest percentage share of teens 12-17 in the audience during the 2005-06 television year.” But because only 20 percent of the shows’ combined audience consists of children, they are counted as adult programs in terms of self-regulation.
Paula Abdul and Ex-Boyfriend Hanging Out Again
They broke up earlier this year, but Paula Abdul and her restaurateur ex-boyfriend JT Torregiani have been quietly reconnecting, a source close to them tells PEOPLE.
“They’re taking it slow, testing the waters, ” says the pal of the pair, who were spotted catching a movie together in Sherman Oaks, Calif., last weekend. “They’ve gone on a few friendly dates.”
The American Idol judge and the owner of several Hollywood hotspots dated for more than a year before splitting in May. A rep for Torregiani blamed their hectic work schedules for the breakup.
Reality Criticism III
… but of course, as we recall, the original question asked wasn’t about the workplace, but about creative-competition reality TV shows.
Which brings in all kinds of complications–not unlike those involved in advice columns.
Here’s the deal. When Simon Cowell is eviscerating some hopeful American Idol–it looks, to the public, as though Mr. Cowell’s primary responsibility is to the potential Idol. It looks that way because we are witnessing a phenomenon–one person offering advice/criticism to another–that we see so often in our everyday lives, in work and friendship, from “Sarah, can you proof this PowerPoint before the meeting this afternoon?” to “Dude! Check out my new rhymes for the poetry slam!” to “Honey, should I put more Worcestershire in this?”
But it’s not. Mr. Cowell has multiple obligations–to the person he is advising, to the craft he represents, and to his audience.
Dance Boss Nigel: Losing Will Is a “Big Disappointment”
When the moment of truth arrived during last week’s results show, here’s what the audience didn’t see: Lythgoe putting his head down on the judges’ table as if he couldn’t bear to watch what was going to happen next. Would it be Will or another audience favorite, Twitch, getting the boot?
When Cat Deeley announced that Will would be going home, the crowd gasped. Widely acknowledged to be the finest all-around dancer this season — and coming off of a sensational pas de deux with Katee Shean and a rousing James Brown imitation in his Wednesday solo routine — nobody saw it coming. After the initial shock, the audience gave a standing ovation. “To me, it’s very much like losing Chris Daughtry or Tamyra Gray from American Idol, ” Lythgoe said after the show. “Either one of them leaving — Will or Twitch — was a big disappointment. I really thought Will, Twitch and Joshua would be fighting it out until the end.”
Destination ‘So You Think You Can Dance’: A family, torn apart
I feel funny tonight, friends. I usually rush home after watching “So You Think You Can Dance, ” eager to dish the best and worst moments of the evening. Tonight, however, I’m not even in the mood to mock the warm-up guy. And for me, that’s really saying something.
All season, we watched the camaraderie between the dancers build, and by top 6 week, the contestants actually seemed inseparable. Cheesy as it sounds, they seemed like family. Thus, no matter who left tonight, it was going to break up a family.
My Toronto: Canadian Idol Mookie Morris
Peter …Mookie Morris is the last Torontonian standing on Canadian Idol. The youngest male this year, the 18-year-old is nicknamed after famed Blue Jay Mookie Wilson, though it not as if he needs more Hogtown cred. He was born here, he lived here his whole life, and this is where he rocks out. Reporter Dave McGinn spoke to Mookie about life in the city.
Reality Check: ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ Picks Final Four
Throughout the season of “So You Think You Can Dance, ” what most often stressed and judged is how well contestants dance with their partners. But many often forget that it their solos that get them in to this competition, and their solos can get them kicked out, too.
Chelsie Hightower and Mark Kanemura will likely remember that for a very long time.
So You Think You Can Dance: Top 4 Revealed
Nigel told the final six that while they were getting plenty of applause and adulation on the show, they would have to get used to rejection if they continue on this career path. He advised that they use the rejection to propel them forward. But, the final six shouldn’t feel too bad because each one of them got over a million votes going into this results show.
And the stakes are even higher going into the finale. Adam Shankman has added a role as a featured dancer in his new movie to the winner’s prize package.
